Polyrhachis rufifemur

Polyrhachis rufifemur
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Hedomyrma
Species:	P. rufifemur
Binomial name
	Polyrhachis rufifemur; Forel, 1907 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Polyrhachis terpsichore elegans Forel, 1910;

I have found nests of P. rufifemur only occasionally, always inside the cavity of a tree trunk, usually that of a Melaleuca (Kohout 1988).

Identification

Kohout (1988) - The representatives of southern populations are generally smaller, with relatively short propodeal spines and more coppery golden pubescence, which almost obscures the underlying sculpturation. Those of northern populations (and some from southern mountains e.g. McPherson Range, Bunya Mountains) tend to be larger, with distinctly longer propodeal spines. The pubescence is pale brassy and more dilute. This variability applies only to the workers as females vary only in size, and not in the other features discussed above.

Distribution

This species is relatively uncommon, with known records restricted to three widely separated areas, one in central New South Wales and the other two in the southern and northern Queensland (Kohout 1988).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -16.25° to -35.33333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Elevation Range

Occurrence at collecting sites during elevational surveys of rainforest in the Eungella region, Queensland, Australia (Burwell et al., 2020).
Species	Elevation (m asl)
Species	200	400	600	800	1000	1200
Polyrhachis rufifemur		0-10
Shading indicates the bands of elevation where species was recorded. Numbers are the percentage of total samples containing this species.

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

rufifemur. Polyrhachis terpsichore var. rufifemur Forel, 1907a: 41 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Hedomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 190. Raised to species and senior synonym of elegans: Kohout, 1988c: 436.
elegans. Polyrhachis terpsichore var. elegans Forel, 1910b: 84 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Hedomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 190. Junior synonym of rufifemur: Kohout, 1988c: 436.

Type Material

Polyrhachis terpsichore elegans Forel, 1910: Syntype, worker(s), Kuranda near Cairns, Queensland, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Polyrhachis terpsichore rufifemur Forel, 1907: Syntype, Springwood, New South Wales, Australia, museum unknown (prob. MHNG (Geneva) or HNHM (Budapest)).

Description

References

Burwell, C.J., Nakamura, A. 2020. Rainforest ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along an elevational gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland coast, Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 125: 43-63.
Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 190, Combination in P. (Hedomyrma))
Forel, A. 1907d. Formicides du Musée National Hongrois. Ann. Hist.-Nat. Mus. Natl. Hung. 5: 1-42 (page 41, worker described)
Kohout, R. J. 1988c. Nomenclatural changes and new Australian records in the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 25: 429-438 (page 436, Raised to species, and senior synonym of elegans)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Kohout R. J. 1988. Nomenclatural changes and new Australian records in the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 25: 429-438
Kohout R. J. 2000. A review of the distribution of the Polyrhachis and Echinopla ants of the Queensland wet tropics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46: 183-209